THE VIRTUAL CARNIVAL 2021 IS ON.
• MOST STAKEHOLDERS ALREADY KNEW THAT THERE WOULD BE NO PHYSICAL CARNIVAL 2021.
• SO WE ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE HONOURABLE PM. THE NATION'S HEALTH COMES FIRST
• BUT
• WHAT STAKEHOLDERS HAVE BEEN CONCENTRATING ON REALLY IS THE CREATION OF A VIRTUAL CARNIVAL FOR 2021. THAT IS 48 HOURS OF STREAMING CONTENT FOR AN INTERNATUONAL AND LOCAL AUDIENCE
• We might lose 55,000 PHYSICAL visitors but we may gain 55 million pairs of eyes!
• Normally Carnival brings in 55,000 visitors and around $650 million in Foreign Exchange (2006 Tourism Study). Government also spends over $150 million in the festival with private bodies spending possibly upwards of $600 million. This means the T&T economy could conservatively lose up to $1.4 billion of economic activity with no Carnival. There are many people for whom Carnival represents up to 75% of their annual income. Even large T&T corporations.
• This will result in tremendous losses to our economy. It will also add to social collapse, national frustration, frayed mental health, and astronomical spikes in crime.
• WE ARE SAYING THAT T&T VIRTUAL CARNIVAL 2021 COULD BE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN PAST CARNIVALS!
• BIGGER THAN THAT IS THIS: WE ARE ACTUALLY SAYING THAT TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO SHOULD SEE VIRTUAL CARNIVAL 2021 AS THE LAUNCH OF T&T’S VIRTUAL ECONOMY! NOT JUST FOR CREATIVES BUT ALL BUSINESS SECTORS. FOR 2 DAYS THE EYES OF THE WORLD WILL BE ON US.
WE HAVE 5 MONTHS TO GET THE VIRTUAL, CREATIVE, AND BANKING ARCHITECTURE IN ORDER. AND THE PRODUCTS AND PROGRAMMING.
• Nottinghill Carnival ran a successful Virtual Carnival probably watched by millions. We can- with all due respect- blow that out of the water!
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE 300 TRINI STYLE CARNIVALS IN THE WORLD WILL BE WATCHING AT HOW WE MANAGE THIS EVENT. WE HAVE CAPTIVE EYES!
• We can symbollically target 55 million online visitors to the 48 streaming hours of Carnival 2021. If we cleverly utilize our diaspora stars like Nicki Minaj, Billy Ocean, Jillionaire, Winston Duke, Heather Headley, etc we can boost our audiences. There is a base target market of the 3 million Trinis world-over along with the 300 Trini-style Carnival massives who will tune in- with boosted audiences.
• That 48 hours can be run on pay per view or other streaming platforms thereafter.
• Forward thinking Creatives and partners have been Beta-Testing the Tech and the curatorial engine
• The Artists’ Coalition submitted a Sector Masterplan to the Ministry of Finance for National Budget 2021 weeks ago as well as a plan to the Post COVID Task Force. The proposal has several innovations to employ 25,000 people in the next year as well as earn upwards of $1 billion in Foreign Exchange. Virtual Carnival 2021 is one of them
• Worldwide economies have moved online and this proposal is about using the Creative Industries- who have the most magnetic and immediate content- as the guinea pigs in the creation of a local architecture for the digital marketplace and the conversion of IP material into monetisable content.
• Carnival 2021 will be the coming out party!
• Carnival 2021 televised content must be curated expertly. It must be done by proper curators, designers, tech and TV professionals. Every second must be a monetiseable or brand bonanza. We are not trying to repeat past TV Carnivals on a streaming platform. We are creating a telegenic event with brilliant filmmakers and Carnival, Creative, and Business stakeholders for international consumption with brand T&T as the winner!
• Government will save up to $100 million in infrastructural spend by not having to put up the traditional Carnival infrastructure in 2021. Some of this money can be diverted to the Creative human capital and getting the Virtual National architecture and the Carnival together
WE ESTIMATE THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR THE VIRTUAL CARNIVAL 2021 AT POTENTIALLY $400 MILLION
Replies
So when this VIRTUAL CARNIVAL STARTING???
Brilliant !. Looking forward to seeing Carnival 2021 virtual
Well said Claude. I will never forget the time I got stung with pay per view. I said never again, but I love my Trini Carnival
soooooooo much I may just get stung again.
Marilyn: WE LOVE THE CULTURE from small and we continue to LOVE THE CULTURE. And we will BUY THE FEED -- but there has to be SOME INTEGRITY!!!
And I can tell you that BASED ON THE HIGH PROJECTION (ROI) this is JUST ANOTHER HUSTLE where THE PNM hands over MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to some PNM/SLANTED GROUP who promises RIDICULOUS RETURNS and GLOBAL EXPOSURE WITH THE CULTURE only to run away with their POCKETS FULL of DOLLARS .. and a FAILED PROJECT!!!
PAN TRINBAGO and TUCO are PRIME EXAMPLES!!!
I well remember THAT PAY PER VIEW EVENT!!!
But stay the course!!!
I am LOOKING FORWARD to THIS VIRTUAL CARNIVAL!!!
CARNIVAL VISITORS SPENT $318 MILLION in 2018
"The total visitor arrivals to Trinidad and Tobago were 33,873 persons, with Trinidad recording 31,877 and Tobago 1,996 for the period under review. When compared with the Carnival period for 2017 (10th to 28th February), data showed a 3,575 or 9.5 % decrease in visitor arrivals to Trinidad and Tobago."
READ MORE
Don't get me wrong!!! I have been following this thing for a VERY LONG TIME and I am familiar with the HISTORIC NUMBERS.
LOOK!!! But I am a REAL TRINIDADIAN and I would like to see this THING FLY. But as you ALL KNOW -- i have always expressed SKEPTICISM about THE CONTENT. And that manifested LOUDLY when the LOCAL PAN SOLOISTS decided to GO GLOBAL!!!
Still: IZAH TRINI and I want to SEE OUR MUSICAL and CULTURAL EXPRESSION on GLOBAL STAGES!!!
THIS I GOT TO SEE!!!! THIS BAR IS SO HIGH; and, personally, I don't believe in STARTING AT THE TOP!!!
FOUR HUNDRED MILLION RETURN ON INVESTMENT FIRST SHOT!!! FIRST TIME OUT THE GATE!!!
Ah taking a FRONT ROW SEAT for THIS ONE!!!
The PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE that I am waiting here to see is expected to draw about EIGHTY MILLION VIEWERS and OUR VIRTUAL CARNIVAL is projecting FIFTY FIVE MILLION ... ah taking ah FRONT ROW SEAT FOR BOTH EVENTS!!!